When the Shadows Come to Play
by undisturbedpeace
Summary: Horatio is assigned to protect a Wiccan who recieves death threats on Halloween.
1. Chapter 1

**A Note from Me to You**: The subject of witchcraft (or Wicca) is a very touchy subject for most people. If you are anyone of those people, this story isn't for you! I will try to update this everyday. But above all, enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

It rained in Miami the night before Halloween and as always there was an aura of unrest in the air. Excitement was too, as children were getting ready for a night of serious trick-or-treating.

As he gazed out the window of his office, Horatio glimpsed the shape of a caped figure climbing out of a cab and racing into the Miami-Dade Crime Lab.

Everyone was getting ready to leave when the elevator doors opened to admit a tall caped figure, the full hood of the black cape drawn over the head. As Horatio departed the office the hooded figure swept off the covering to reveal a lovely young woman with alabaster skin, a square face with full lips and slanted blue-gray eyes, her long red hair piled up into a bun.

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Horatio Caine," she said, her voice as whispery as the wind through the palm trees. "Is Lieutenant Caine here?"

Horatio offered her his hand to shake. "Miss Llewellyn thanks for stopping by," he said. Belladonna Llewellyn smiled and shook his outstretched hand, and Horatio noticed two things: that she wore black gloves that went up to her elbows and a silver pentacle around her neck.

"You said in your phone call that you needed to speak with me," said Horatio. She nodded, her smile suddenly fading.

"Could we speak privately, Lieutenant?" she asked. "In your office, maybe?"

Horatio nodded and led her to the solitude of his office. The minute he shut the door Belladonna shed her cape and draped it over the chair. Horatio arched an eyebrow at her attire. She wore black brocaded shoes, spider web thigh-high stockings, and a black velveteen minidress that laced up in the back and had puffed sleeves.

He sat before her and leaned foreword slightly. "You said that you were the one receiving death threats because of your religion," he said, "and that you were a friend of Celine Brown." He referred to a case he and his CSI team solved a year ago. Brown had been found in her home, raped and beaten so badly that her family could only ID her by the pentacle she wore around her neck. Brown was Wiccan, a modern day witch, and her killer had been her husband, who simply wanted to convert her back to Christianity.

"She was my coven sister," said Belladonna. "But…that's not want I'm here for." She handed him a typed letter. "He's at it, again. He has threatened to kill me tomorrow."

Horatio read the letter. _Florida doesn't need another witch performing satanic_ _rituals_, it read. _And on October 31st you're going to go the same way Celine did. Watch your witchy back._

"It couldn't have been Walter," Belladonna said, referring to Celine Brown's husband. "He's in jail and he never wrote a letter in his life."

"Any idea why someone would want to harm you?" asked Horatio.

"I'm a witch, Lieutenant. Wicca has long been confused with Satanism. In Wicca, there's no Devil, no blood drinking, no orgies or child-eating." She sounded very frightened. "It's worshipping nature, the Goddess, and benevolent spells, that's all. But people still get it wrong."

Horatio returned to the letter. "Any idea who 'The Witch-hunter' is?" he asked.

"I don't know." Belladonna rubbed her eyes. "I'm so afraid, Lieutenant. I don't want to die."

Horatio looked deep into those tearful blue-gray eyes and his heart started pounding. There was something about this attractive woman, though he couldn't say what. "I won't let that happen, Miss Llewellyn," he said.

She gave a weak smile.

"I appreciate it, Lieutenant Caine," she said. When she stood up to leave she paused and looked at him. "My coven and I are celebrating Samhain tomorrow night. You're most welcome to come if you so wish. It's at eight o'clock." She smiled again and gave a slight nod.

Horatio smiled back. "I'll be there," he said.

As she left his office Horatio stared after her, just wondering what he had gotten himself into. He stared down at the letter; the first of many filed by Belladonna, and then dialed Eric Delko up on his cell phone.

"What's up, H?"

"Eric, I need you and Calliegh to come up here for a minute. I need to talk to you."

When Eric spoke again, Horatio smiled at the tone of his voice. "Sure, H."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Belladonna sat alone in her candle-lit living room, staring horrified at the latest death threat that had just been slipped into her mailbox. _Twenty-four hours, witch, it read. Did you like the way Celine died? Because that's what's gonna happen to you._

"Bastard," she snarled, tears of helplessness coursing down her cheeks. She rubbed them away. Who could she turn to in her hour of need?

_Call Horatio Caine._

She stood up and went to her occult bookshelf where a dragon cell phone caddy held cards of her favorite occult shops as well as the card Lieutenant Caine gave her the first time they met.

_Lieutenant Caine._ Belladonna's heart twisted at the thought of seeing the tall red-haired police officer again tomorrow night and her body was overcome with warmth.

She reached for Horatio's card but stopped when she heard a sharp thud on her door. She looked about her and realized that her cat, Pyewackett, had not come in from his outdoor mouse-hunt. A feeling of nausea swept over Belladonna as she slowly opened her door.

The body of a black cat lay crumpled before her, its belly sliced open. Blood seeped into the welcome mat and the smell was awful. Belladonna fell onto her knees in shock. The dead cat was Pyewackett.

Belladonna began to scream.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was three-thirty in the morning when Horatio pulled the Hummer into the driveway of Belladonna's home. Already the crime scene tape was up, the news crews were everywhere, and his CSI team was hard at work processing the crime scene.

Alexx Woods knelt beside the body of a dead black cat. "What do we have, Alexx?" asked Horatio.

She frowned. "This poor kitty got it bad," she said. "What I can tell is that the cat has been sliced open like a piece of meat. I'll know more at the post." She winced. "I can't believe I'll be doing an autopsy on a cat. Who would kill a black cat on Halloween?"

"Black cats are associated with witchcraft," said Horatio, seeing Belladonna on the front steps in her white chemise, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "Excuse me," he said and walked toward her. She didn't even notice when Horatio removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. "Belladonna, you're shivering," he said. "Here you go, sweetheart."

Belladonna flinched and looked at him. "Here's what I want you to do," said Horatio, "I want you to wait for me in my car, OK?"

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "OK," she said and wobbled off toward the Hummer. Horatio watched her go then went to where Eric knelt on the ground. "Eric," he said.

Eric looked up. "Not much, sorry H," he said. "Whoever killed Miss Llewellyn's cat is pretty sneaky." He pointed his camera at a boot print in the mud and snapped a photo of it. "Except this. It's a print from some kind of combat boot."

"Could be from Pyewackett's killer." Horatio felt odd saying that.

Eric stood up. "You think this has something to do with the threats on Miss Llewellyn's life?" he asked.

A sudden commotion caused Horatio to turn his attention on the vast crime scene audience. Belladonna was arguing with a short man with blue hair and green eyes. "Hang on a second, Eric," he said and walked toward Belladonna. She had just suffered an emotional loss; this was the last thing she needed.

"What's the matter Belladonna?" the man sneered openly. "Pissed off at the loss of your kitty? Why don't you just use your witchy powers to bring him back?"

"Just go away, Jared," said Belladonna. "I don't want your sympathy."

"Hey, I'm just being nice."

"Nice?" Belladonna shouted, and the sound of her voice caused the cameras to turn to her. "You call bringing your fundamentalist Christian pals over to disrupt my coven's rituals nice? Or how about the time you shouted passages of the Bible at a Wiccan gathering and told every Wiccan there that they were going to burn in hell? You call that nice? I call it religious intolerance."

"Aw, cm'on Bella…"

By then Horatio appeared at Belladonna's side. "Sir, I'll have to ask you to get back behind the tape," he said firmly. "This is a crime scene."

"I'm just talking to my friend, Officer," said Jared defensively. "She's upset."

"I believe the lady asked you to leave," said Horatio steadily, feeling Belladonna trembling with rage beside him.

Jared gestured angrily. "Whatever," he shouted and stalked away.

Horatio led Belladonna to the Hummer himself and once she was settled in the driver's seat he leaned against the door and asked softly, "Who was that man, Belladonna?"

"Jared Michaels," she said. "Another one of those zealous Christians you hear about on the news. Another thorn in my side."

"Do you know if he would hurt Pyewackett?"

"I don't know." She turned her face away from Horatio so he wouldn't see her cry. He shifted slightly on his feet and whispered, "Belladonna, I promise you that I'm going to find whoever is trying to harm you. OK?"

When she smiled numbly at him Horatio felt his heart fly to pieces again. What was wrong with him? What was it that she did to him? Why did he feel this way?

"Hey, Horatio!"

Frank Tripp's voice shook him out of his reverie and he said, "Excuse me," before going to meet him. "Frank," he said and Tripp showed him a one-paged letter.

"Looks like Miss Llewellyn's admirer came back for another round," said Tripp. "Take a look."

Horatio looked the letter over then at Frank. "Get this to the lab and test it for prints," he said. "We need to see if luck gets on our side for a change."

"And…Miss Llewellyn?"

"I'll deal with that." Horatio looked at Belladonna across the way. Where could she go after the Samhain ritual tonight? He swallowed as he returned to the Hummer.

"Belladonna, do you have any friends to stay with until this is over?" he asked. She shook her head. "My parents live in Georgia," she replied. "And I don't wish to put my coven in danger. Where can I go, Lieutenant?" She looked at him.

"I want you to stay at my place after the ritual," said Horatio. "An officer will escort you to a friend's house for a change of clothes. Do you have someone in mind?"

"Pandora," said Belladonna. "We're having the ritual at her place anyway." She looked back to Horatio. "You've done so much for me, Lieutenant," she added softly. "I don't want to think that I'm burdening you."

"Go ahead, Belladonna."

She slid out of the car and Horatio caught the faint scent of vanilla and mint drifting off her skin.

"H?" It was Eric.

"Yes, Eric."

"I was just wondering…" Eric looked fairly embarrassed. "…if we were still going to that ritual tonight."

Horatio smiled and nodded. "We sure are, Eric," he said.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When Horatio, Eric, and Calleigh arrived at Pandora Moore's home, they were greeted by the lady witch herself. Dressed in a black shirred ruffled top and a skirt of multi-colored six pieced tiers, Pandora was in her early forties, with short graying dark hair and green eyes.

"Ma'am, we're," Horatio began but she finished.

" – Lieutenant Horatio Caine," she said. She smiled at Eric and Calleigh. "And you two are Eric Delko and Calleigh Duquesne." She motioned them inside. "Come in. Bright blessings to the three of you."

The inside of the house was, to Horatio, interesting. Framed prints of faeries and other Wiccan memorabilia covered the walls; candles were lit in every part of the room. A fine altar was in the middle of the room, bookshelves were packed with occult books.

"Sit where you like," said Pandora before vanishing into the kitchen.

Eric and Calleigh sat in silence while Horatio remained standing. Finally Calleigh remarked, "God, can you imagine my house looking this cool?"

"I'll admit," said Eric. "It's impressive."

"Why thank you, Mr. Delko," said Belladonna appearing from the hallway. Her appearance literally took Horatio's breath away. Belladonna's hair fell free and wavy down her back in a cascade of molten copper and she wore little makeup on her face. About her neck was a crystal necklace made of amethyst and she wore a black sleeveless dress with a cross-laced bodice, brocade-textured inset, and long falling streaks of purple velvet front and back.

Horatio had never seen a woman so beautiful.

Eric and Calleigh introduced themselves and Belladonna smiled warmly at them and thanked them for coming. Naturally, there were some questions, mostly about Samhain. "What is it?" asked Calleigh.

"Samhain is one of our highest sabbats," explained Belladonna, "where the the veil between the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living is very thin and the spirits come out and walk for one night. This is the time for honoring the dead and it is also our New Year, according to the Celtic calendar."

Eric smiled. "Sounds good."

Pandora stuck her head into the living room. "I believe we're ready, Lady Belladonna," she said. Belladonna smiled. "Then let's begin," she said.

The room filled with men and women, some dressed in casual clothes, others dressed in costumes, but all of them wearing pentacles around their neck. Horatio, Calleigh, and Eric swept inside the circle around the altar and were greeted by friendly smiles from the witches.

Belladonna came forward and lit the candles on the altar. "In the name of the Morrigan, Goddess of Death and Rebirth, I light this candle," she said. She moved to the next one. "In the name of the God Arawn, God of the Dead, I light this candle."

She then unsheathed a beautiful dagger and drew a pentacle in the air. "Welcome, Lord and Lady, to our circle!"

"Welcome!" chimed the circle.

Horatio watched Belladonna as she conducted the ritual. She seemed to have changed overtime. No longer was she just a woman, who had different beliefs, she was instead the Goddess Morrigan incarnate. Her pale skin was literally glowing with her Goddess energy and it almost frightened him.

"Tonight," continued Belladonna, "we honor those who have gone before us into the Summerland and beyond. Tonight we invited those who have passed on to the Next Life to join us in this simple rite." She raised her arms high above her head. "Welcome, spirits! Be here with us now!"

"Welcome, spirits!" repeated the circle.

The minute she said this, Horatio noticed that the candle flames were brighter than ever before and where not wavering. A slight chill was in the air and it seemed that the atmosphere in the room changed to. It felt like other people were present in the room, though they could not be seen. He had a feeling of being watched and, telling by the startled glances his CSIs gave him, they felt it too.

The ritual continued, though Horatio couldn't remember much of what was said. He did remember feeling the spectral eyes upon him, watching and welcoming. He did remember the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

The shots came without warning and immediately the three CSIs were kicked into action. "Everybody down!" shouted Eric over the den of panicking Wiccans, who obeyed him and ducked for cover. Ten more shots rang out, shattering windows and furniture, the noise bouncing off the walls.

"Belladonna!" shouted Horatio, grabbing her almost instantly and falling to the floor with her held tightly in his arms. She flinched with every gunshot but Horatio was more concerned to see if either she or her friends were hurt.

When the gunfire died down, all they heard was the sound of screeching tires going down the street.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Horatio. Nods and murmurs answered him faintly.

Eric and Calleigh helped everyone stand up and Horatio did likewise with Belladonna. Like the others, she was horribly shaken, but unhurt. "Are you all right?" Horatio asked.

"I think so," she answered softly.

"Looks like someone didn't want you guys to go through with your celebration," remarked Eric.

Belladonna answered him with a smile.

"But thank the Goddess and the spirits for protecting us," she said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Once again Belladonna's coven was in the limelight as the whole place became a crime scene. Calleigh went around hunting for gun casings while Eric went looking for evidence. Horatio coaxed the coven members to give statements, though everyone said the same thing. Even Horatio and his CSIs were questioned as witnesses and they basically repeated the story.

"H, Calleigh said she found gun casings," said Eric. "By the mailbox."

Horatio nodded and joined Calleigh by the mailbox, where she was placing gun casings into evidence envelopes. "Calliegh," he said and she looked up at him.

"We've got at least twenty of these babies," she said. "All of them are nine-mils, and from the looks of it the gunfire was sporadic."

"Sporadic is right." It was Ryan Wolfe, holding up a small automatic. "Found this in the bushes. I'll get it to the lab."

"Please do, Mr. Wolfe. Thank you." The lab hadn't had any luck with the letters so Horatio hoped that they would find prints from the gun. He looked to the coven members and immediately his heart sank. Where was Belladonna?

A fleeting moment of panic caused Horatio to run back into the house and he almost collided with an officer. "Where's Miss Llewellyn?" he asked, trying to keep the terror out of his voice.

"She's in the backyard, Lieutenant," replied the officer. "We've tried getting her to go outside but she won't budge."

Horatio sprinted out the sliding glass doors leading to the backyard and almost breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Belladonna standing by the pool, wrapped in a green-white Celtic poncho. The light blue of the pool water played about her face, giving her an almost elfish look.

She must have must heard him for she began to speak.

"When I was a girl, I used to think that all people accepted Wicca and knew all about it," she said as Horatio neared her side. "It wasn't till I got older when I found out it was all a big joke. Thousands of innocent people were tortured and executed because they followed the Goddess…and even though that happened in the Middle Ages, the idea that witches are evil survives to this day."

Horatio gently took her hand and she looked down and smiled. "You're the first person to do that," she said softly. "People were always too afraid to touch me for fear of dying or going to hell."

"Belladonna…"

She met his gaze openly and he almost winced at the intense pain and tenderness in her eyes. "You have a pure soul and great heart, Horatio Caine," she said. "The Goddess has blessed you with it. And though you may not see it, others do." She smiled. "I see it. And I think it's the most beautiful thing I've seen in a person in a long time."

Then it happened.

It was as if someone had pushed them forward at the same time, for they gently came closer and closer together and when Horatio felt her arms go around him and her lips touching his it was as if that piece of his heart, that one piece that taught him to love again, had suddenly come back to him in an instant. This wasn't simple desperation. This was comfort, desire, need, and friendship all mixed together in a wonderful and unexplainable emotion that people experience when they had been in love for a long time and not realizing it till that one second.

Time seemed to slow down into nothing as the two of them stood in locked embrace and everything wrong with the world was forgotten. It was just the two them, together in a space of their own, shut away from the harsh trivialities of the world. It felt, and Horatio was ready to admit this now, magickal.

"Hey, H…"

They broke apart the second Eric came through the glass doors. He looked surprised for a moment. "Ooops," he said. "Sorry."

"It's all right, Eric," said Horatio, mentally kicking himself for being caught. "What is it?"

"Valera just called. She said that she found a match on the prints from the gun, and there was some DNA on it to boot."

"I'm on my way." When Eric had gone Horatio looked back to Belladonna, who smiled.

"You've got work to do," she said softly. "Go on. I'll be all right."

Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, Horatio left her by the pool and told the nearby officer to keep close watch on her. Then he climbed into the Hummer and drove to the crime lab, his mind still reeling from her kiss.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Maxine Valera smiled when Horatio entered the lab and he saw concern in her eyes. "Are you all right, Lieutenant?" she asked. "You look abit….flustered."

"I'm OK, Valera. What do we have?"

"You're not going to believe whose DNA I found on the gun," said Valera giving him the results. "Apparently it's a match to someone close to Belladonna."

Horatio looked at the results, and a smile crossed his face. Someone close to Belladonna, indeed, someone who sneered at her and mocked the loss of Pyewackett just to give himself a kick.

Jared Michaels.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Jared Michaels sat across the interrogation table looking smugly at Horatio. "What's this about, Lieutenant?" he asked smiling.

"This is about you trying to kill Belladonna Llewellyn and her coven," said Horatio, meeting Jared's surprised look with a steady gaze of his own. "Right, Jared?"

Jared ran a hand through his hair and laughed. "Whoa, wait a minute," he said taken aback. "Kill? Why would I want to kill those witches?"

"You consider yourself a good Christian?" asked Horatio.

"Yeah, but what does…"

"Then you know that a good Christian doesn't kill those who practice different religions," said Horatio. "Good people tolerate."

"Where are you going with this, Caine?" asked Jared, blushing.

Horatio placed the photo of the automatic before Jared. "This gun has DNA and prints on it," he said. "And this gun was found at the crime scene."

Jared stared at the photo for two seconds then up at Horatio. "OK," he said. "It's mine. But I wouldn't go near those people. God knows what they do during those rituals of theirs…"

"So you parked across the street to shoot up Pandora Moore's house to prove a point, Jared?" asked Horatio. "Stop the witches from performing a rite and flee the scene, right?" Jared opened his mouth but Horatio continued. "Except you forgot one thing: you dropped your gun in panic after you saw that me and two of my CSIs were in there with the coven."

Jared looked down at the table for a minute, then back up. The innocent façade had fallen. "They're polluting our neighborhood with their satanic rituals," he said coldly. "You damned cops weren't going to do diddley-squat about it…so someone had to."

"Innocent people could have been killed," said Horatio.

"Not my problem. If those witches wanted to save themselves they should have left Miami or killed themselves. I told that Llewellyn chick that kind of thing when I killed her kitty but obviously she didn't listen."

Horatio remembered the deep grief that had been on Belladonna's face early this morning when she sat before Pyewackett's dead body and his blood boiled. "How about the death threats," he asked. "Did you do those to?"

Jared shook his head. "I'm not talking," he said defiantly. "You can't stop me from ridding Miami of these witches, Caine. I'm gonna keep going and am never going stop till every single witch is sent to hell."

Horatio stared at him coldly.

"I beg to differ," he said then looked at an officer. "Get him out of my sight."

The elevator doors opened just as Horatio, the officer, and Jared were leaving the interrogation room and Belladonna walked in. She froze for a moment, and so did Jared. For a second they stared at each other, hatred meeting with pity then Jared broke the silence.

"I hope he gets you, Bella!" he screamed as the officer struggled with him to keep from lunging at her. "I can't wait to see you on the six o'clock news in a body bag! I hope you burn in hell!"

Horatio noticed that she was very calm. The air of the whole building seemed to be very warm and loving. She glanced at him over at him for a second and smiled before she began to walk toward Jared. Horatio followed at a distance.

She stopped before Jared and placed a hand on his cheek, gazing into his eyes calmly. When she spoke, her voice was sympathetic and soft.

"I don't hate you Jared for what you feel," she said. "It's not my place to hate people just because they hate me. But know this…what you did to Pyewackett and to me and my coven will come back to you times three. You might want to think about carrying on this crusade of yours once that happens." She smiled. "Peace be with you."

As Jared was hauled away Horatio chose that moment to go to her side. She smiled at him and kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth.

"What was that?" he asked her.

Belladonna looked at where Jared had stood. "There's already too much hatred out there, Horatio," she said. "And I don't wish to add to it. We Wiccans have a saying: _Do want you will and harm none_. I don't wish to harm Jared because he killed Pyewackett and almost killed me and my friends…what he did will come back to him three-fold."

"You didn't ask for an apology."

"I don't have to. I know he's not regretting what he did. That's his choice I suppose…"

She looked at him openly now. "Did Jared say anything about the death threats?" she asked. "Is he the one?"

Horatio shook his head. "We're still looking into it. We've been hitting brick walls lately."

She took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You'll find him, Horatio," she said. "I know you will. And…" She smiled wanly. "I know that if you're protecting me nothing will harm me."

Horatio smiled back at her. He was prepared to do whatever he could to keep Belladonna out of harm's way, and he'd move heaven and earth to keep her safe.

"I guess I better be getting back," said Belladonna.

"Yeah, I guess you should."

She hugged him and whispered in his ear, "I love you. Go get him."

He chuckled softly and watched her walk to the elevator.

_You take care of my daughter, Horatio Caine, you understand that?_

He looked around for the source of that voice but no one was there. He looked at Belladonna, who was smiling. "Hey Belladonna…"

"That was just my mother, Horatio," she said. "She died from cancer two years ago." At his surprised look she added, "It's still Samhain, after all. The spirits still have time. Don't worry, she'll watch over you."

As the elevator door closed, a metal veil separating them from one another, Horatio took one last look around and then went back to work.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After Belladonna's departure, the whole lab began to experience many bizarre things: Eric and Valera came up to Horatio with the report that they heard someone call their names in the DNA lab when they were the only ones in the room, Wolfe remained in the break room for an hour after stating that an unseen force pushed him playfully, and Calleigh thoroughly inspected the firearms lab after she heard a little girl laughing, but she found nothing. Horatio himself tried calling Belladonna after getting many of these statements but was bombarded with nothing but static when he knew that his cell phone was working fine.

The team was clearly frustrated with this phenomena and Eric finally came up to Horatio. "You don't think Belladonna cursed us, do you H?" he asked. "I mean, we can't seem to be getting anywhere because weird stuff keeps happening."

Horatio offered an encouraging smile. "She didn't," he said. "If anything, I'm assuming these spirits are here to protect us." Eric laughed.

"Try telling that to Wolfe," he said. "He refuses to leave the break room."

That was when Horatio's cell phone rang, and the ring tone was louder than usual. When Horatio answered it he was greeted by static so loud that even Eric could hear it. "Hello?" he literally shouted into phone.

"…she's in danger."

"Excuse me?" Horatio could tell the voice was female and a bit too low to be heard clearly. "Ma'am? Who's in danger? Ma'am?"

"Belladonna…"

Horatio's heart began pounding. "What about her?" he asked.

"…you must go to Belladonna…Caine…she's in danger."

The phone line went dead.

Horatio snapped the phone shut and looked at Eric. "We've got to go," he said in a tone of voice that impended no argument. Eric nodded and they headed for the elevator. Once in the Hummer Horatio drove like a madman toward Belladonna's home.

_I don't understand,_ he thought. _She has police protection. How is she in danger?_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Belladonna's protection officer lay in a pool of blood right outside the front door. Eric checked his pulse. "He's gone H," he reported.

Horatio surveyed the outside of the house in horror. The front door had been knocked off its hinges and as they crept inside everything had been tossed around. "Signs of a struggle," remarked Eric.

Horatio called out softly, "Belladonna?"

No answer.

"Belladonna? It's Horatio. Where are you?"

Eric turned the corner into a hallway. He looked back. "H!" he called.

When Horatio joined him he was horrified to find Belladonna lying on the floor, her wrists slashed open. She was unconscious but Horatio saw by the slow way her side heaved that she was still breathing. He went to her and took her up into his arms.

_Save her, Horatio, please. She's my daughter._

"Call for help, Eric," he ordered. "Quick!"

As Eric raced to a phone, Horatio sat on the floor, holding the inert body the woman he loved tightly in his arms, staunching the blood flow as best he could.

"Don't die on me, Belladonna; please don't die on me…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

At the hospital Horatio stood by Belladonna's bedside, watching her. She was still knocked out, but the steady pulse of her electric heartbeat gave him hope that she'd pull through. He and Eric had gotten her to the hospital just in time – now it was up to the doctor's verdict.

There was something ethereally beautiful about her as she lay there: her hair spilling over the pillows framing her face, her skin white, and the pentacle shining like a silver star around her neck. For a moment Horatio wondered if she was dreaming, or if she had floated away to a better place for a while.

The door opened and a blond haired, brown eyed doctor walked in. "Lieutenant Caine?" he asked.

Horatio looked up. "How is she, Doctor Briggs?"

"Miss Llewellyn is stable for the moment," reported the doctor. "But she lost a lot of blood, Lieutenant. I'll let you know if her condition changes."

"Thank you, Doctor." Horatio looked back down at Belladonna and his heart sunk lower. _I was supposed to protect her,_ he thought as the doctor left the room. _She could die because of me._

_She's going to be OK, Horatio._

The soft female voice, full of warmth and love, whispered into his right ear, though Horatio knew that only he and Belladonna were alone in the room. He could feel an invisible slender hand on his shoulder, smelled a lavender-vanilla perfume. Whatever – or whoever – this presence was, it came with nothing but peace and love.

He pulled up a chair beside Belladonna and took her hand. The copper of her Tree-of-Life pentacle ring shone dimly in the light, her black nails tiny scrying mirrors.

Despair threatened to swallow him up. He had been raised Catholic, he had no full knowledge of Wicca. What could he do?

The door opened and Pandora crept in, a duffel bag over one shoulder, a large black book under her arm. She wore simple black slacks and a black pirate's shirt, concern on her face. "Lieutenant," she asked, "how is she?"

"Stable for the moment," replied Horatio. "The doctor will let us know about her condition if it changes."

Pandora nodded. She placed the bag on the end of the bed and unzipped it, pulling out a small green satchel, from where she pulled out four little crystals. At Horatio's curious gaze she explained: "Carnelian for the element of fire, aquamarine for water, moss agate for earth, clear quartz for air. And this…" She held out a large polished turquoise stone to Horatio for him to take, "…is turquoise, a protective and healing stone. It is also Belladonna's birthstone."

Horatio held the stone in his hand as Pandora placed the crystals about Belladonna's body, forming an impalpable pentacle around her. She took out more tools from the bag. "Two candles," she said, "a chalice and mead. But most important of all, Belladonna's athame" – she took out the dagger Horatio saw at the Samhain ritual – "and this."

Pandora placed the black book on the bed and opened it to a certain page. "A Book of Shadows," she explained, "is a witch's book of spells, rituals, basic lore. This one has been in the Llewellyn clan for four generations – beginning with her great-grandmother Edyth, then it was passed on to Belladonna's grandmother Edwina, and then to her mother, Rhiamon. It is now Belladonna's, and she will pass it on to her own daughter."

She smiled and patted Horatio's hand. "Her mother is here for her daughter, Lieutenant Caine, to help strengthen and heal her." She looked down at Belladonna. "Let us begin."

She lit the candles in the names of Airmid and Miach, sister and brother of healing and she poured some mead into the chalice after calling the God and Goddess into the magick circle.

"We ask you Lord and Lady," called Pandora. "To heal Belladonna of her wounds, and to you, Rhiamon, to watch over your daughter as she recovers."

_I will_, her voice whispered in Horatio's ear.

Pandora stepped back. "I've done my part, Horatio," she said. "Now you must do yours. Place the turquoise over her heart."

Horatio obeyed, noticing that his hand was shaking. "Now," said Pandora, "what do you want that stone to represent?"

"Healing," said Horatio without thinking.

"Then that is what the stone is, Horatio. It is healing…from you and the God and Goddess. Think those thoughts into the stone, and as you do this, those thoughts will go through it and into Belladonna."

Horatio thought hard, desperately hoping. The stone grew warm to the touch. A few minutes passed then he pulled away.

"Now, we wait," said Pandora. She gave the chalice to Horatio. "May you never thirst," she said and he took a sip of mead.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An hour passed after Pandora had gone and Horatio still felt the effects of the healing rite. He never left Belladonna's side, not even to answer his phone when Eric called to tell him that they were still trying on the case, which threatened to go cold. Rhiamon Llewellyn's spirit was still very near and he took comfort from that.

Belladonna's eyes fluttered open a second later and she looked up at Horatio and smiled. "Horatio?" she asked weakly.

He smiled back, brushing a lock of red hair out of her eyes. "I thought I lost you," he said softly.

She gave his hand a feeble squeeze. "I thought I was lost too," she said. "I saw the Summerland and my mother. She told me it wasn't my time yet."

"It's still Samhain after all," said Horatio.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Belladonna was released an hour later, though she was still weak from the painkillers. Horatio bundled her up in the passenger seat of the Hummer and she leaned up against the door and fell asleep.

Driving back to the lab Horatio saw that the kids were out tonight in costume and carrying bags of candy. Laughter rang in the dark Miami air and for a second Horatio remembered what it was like to be a kid anxious for trick-or-treating.

But then he saw Belladonna's bandaged wrists and the memory shriveled up like a prune. Dressed in a jeweled purple caftan, she looked like a sleeping child. And she was dreaming, murmuring in her sleep. Horatio listened.

"No, Ronnie…please," murmured Belladonna, tossing in the seat. "Why are you doing this?" Then she began shouting. "Don't…_no!_ _Get off me! GET OFF ME!"_

Horatio gently shook her arm. "Belladonna, wake up."

She jolted awake and settled in the seat. Horatio glanced at her worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"I think so." Belladonna gave him a reassuring smile. "What time is it?"

"A couple of minutes after ten," Horatio replied.

When they reached the lab they were greeted by a not-so-happy Ryan Wolfe. "Glad to see that you're healthy," he said to Belladonna sullenly. "Now can you lift this curse so that we could work on who's trying to kill you?"

"How is it that I cursed you?" asked Belladonna. When Horatio told her about the previous happenings she blushed and gave a shy smile. "Oh dear," she said. "Those spirits are my ancestors – they're a bit protective of me."

"H, we're getting nowhere with these letters," said Wolfe, ignoring her. "No prints were found and the D.A. is threatening to shut the door on the case."

"Is Jared Michaels still in custody?" asked Horatio.

"Yeah. Should we bring him in?"

"Do so, Mr. Wolfe."

Belladonna swayed on her feet and Horatio put an arm around her for support and she leaned against him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so tired."

"There's no need to apologize," Horatio said softly. "Can you make it to my office OK?"

She nodded and he gently led her up to his office where he settled her down on the sofa. She smiled up at him. "Go get him," she whispered.

"You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, Horatio. I just need rest."

"OK. I need to get back to work but I'll check on you later."

"OK," said Belladonna.

She looked so lovely lying there, despite the bandages on her wrists. Horatio leaned close to her and whispered words he never thought he'd say again: "I love you."

"I love you," she whispered and fell asleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jared Michaels gave Horatio his casually smug grin. "Missed me already, Caine?" he asked. Horatio stared at him, in no mood for Jared's wisecracks.

"Jared, cut the crap," he said, "and tell me who the Witch-hunter is."

"Like I told you before, Caine, I'm not talking," said Jared snobbishly.

"How about we throw your ass in a real jail cell after we're done here?" asked Frank Tripp in a biting voice. "Maybe then you'll feel like talking."

Jared lost his complacency and fear crossed his face. "I want a deal," he said.

"You tell me who's been sending Miss Llewellyn death threats and who also tried to kill her and we'll talk," said Horatio.

Jared ran a hand through his dyed hair and let out a shaking breath. Horatio waited patiently. When Jared looked at him, Horatio saw that he was scared. "I don't know his last name," he said. "But his first name is Ronnie."

_Ronnie._ That was the name Belladonna cried out in her sleep. Horatio asked, "Who's Ronnie?"

"God, how do I know?"

Jared, if you want that deal…"

"OK, OK," Jared said. "He's a doctor at the hospital. I met him after he stitched me up during a surgery two years ago. Like me he's a decent Christian."

"Where can I find him?" Horatio asked.

"At the hospital, Caine, did I stutter?" Jared looked angry but Horatio wasn't buying it. "Though I doubt seriously that you'll find him." He smiled. "He already knows that you're seeing that Llewellyn chick and I don't think he likes that too much."

Horatio smiled back. "Oh, I don't think I'll have a problem with Ronnie," he said. "If anything, he's going to have a problem with me."

- - - - - - - - - - -

Belladonna was awake and looking out into the night when he got back to his office. "What did he say?" she asked.

Horatio stood beside her and answered with a question of his own. "Ronnie was the one who tried to kill you wasn't he?" he asked. She turned to him and nodded wordlessly for a moment.

"Yes," she answered.

"Do you remember what he looked like?"

"All I remember is that he had blond hair," said Belladonna. "Other than that it's all blank."

_Blond hair and is a doctor at the hospital_ thought Horatio and his heart gave a leap. _Well, well, Doctor Ronnie Briggs, looks like I'm going to have another chat with you. And this time, I'll be reading your rights._

"Horatio?"

"I think I know who's been sending you those threats, Belladonna," said Horatio. He hugged her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I need you to stay here," he said. "I'll be back."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The hospital was in full swing when Horatio walked in and up to the receptionist's desk. A black haired secretary looked up from her computer terminal to greet him with a frighteningly friendly smile. "Hi there," she said. "How may I help you today?"

"Miami-Dade police," said Horatio, showing her his badge. "Horatio Caine. I'm looking for Ronnie Briggs."

"Oh! You're the cop who showed up with that girl a couple of minutes ago!" The woman's smile dropped when Horatio continued to stare at her. She said, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but Doctor Briggs is on a conference call in Orlando and he won't be back until midnight. I can leave a message for him if you like." Her voice trembled at the last sentence.

Horatio stared at the girl. Something about her mannerism struck him as being a tad bit nervous, as if she was hiding something. _She might be covering for_ _Briggs,_ he thought.

"Is he really on a conference call?" he asked, "or is he just hiding in his office waiting for his next chance to try murder again?"

The secretary looked horrified. "Lieutenant Caine!" she gasped in repulsion. "I'll have you know that Ronnie Briggs is one of the most talented and respected doctors in the field of medicine! He would never kill somebody!"

"So you're just covering for him, right?" asked Horatio and the woman turned away slightly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

"Then you won't mind coming with me to the station to answer a few questions then, won't you?" Horatio asked.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The secretary, Marianne Collins, shook her head. "I don't know anything about that," she said defensively. "I just heard about that stuff on the news. Ronnie is a good person…he would never try to kill someone just because the person practices…unholy stuff."

"So you think Wicca is 'unholy'?" asked Horatio.

"Please, Lieutenant, who doesn't think it's evil?" returned Marianne. "You've heard about it lately on the news dealing with Wiccan veterans wanting to put the pentagram on their gravestones. It's disgusting. It's like putting up bulletin boards saying that worshipping Satan is OK."

"Wicca is a recognized religion," remarked Eric.

"Well it shouldn't be. It's harmful and evil," Marianne answered.

"Did Doctor Briggs tell you all this?" Horatio asked. "Just so he can cover his tracks?" She glared at him.

"Did that slimeball Jared put you up to this?" she asked angrily.

"Jared is doing quite a lot of talking, Marianne," replied Horatio. "And he has just told us that Doctor Briggs is responsible for the attempts on Belladonna Llewellyn's life."

"That lying piece of trash," hissed Marianne. "Do yourself a favor, Lieutenant Caine…don't listen to him. He's trying to get back at Ronnie for something, that's all. Maybe you should ask him if he's this so-called 'Witch-hunter' and leave Doctor Briggs alone."

"Well that's not going to do any good for Ronnie," said Eric, showing her a photo of a pocketknife with Belladonna's blood on the blade. "Because we just found his prints on the pocketknife used to slash Belladonna's wrists open."

Marianne's facial expression became darker as she glared at Horatio. "If you had just left her there to die," she said, "Ronnie would have succeeded in his plans. That little witch is ruining everything…his business is going down the toilet and everyone else is going up the food chain. Now he has to start all over again."

"Where is he, Marianne?" asked Horatio firmly.

"I'm not saying a thing," snapped Marianne, crossing her arms over her chest. "Go on ahead, Lieutenant, throw me in jail. But you can't stop Ronnie from killing that witch."

"Oh, but I do tend to stop him, Marianne," replied Horatio coldly. "That's my job after all…"

She said nothing, just scowled.

"Take her out of here," said Horatio and two officers escorted her out of the room. Eric looked at him.

"So if Ronnie Briggs is the Witch-hunter, H," he asked, "how can we get to him?"

Horatio looked in the direction of his office, where he could see Belladonna there, staring back at him.

"We trust in faith, Eric," he said. "It's still Samhain after all…anything can happen."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As he stood in the living room of Belladonna's home, Horatio felt for the first time at total peace with the world. A vintage crystal candlelier hung from the ceiling and the room was full of soft candlelight, bathing the paintings of Celtic goddesses that she hung on her walls in dim illumination. The scent of jasmine incense hung lightly in the air, and the whole room felt warm and loving.

"I hope I've not kept you waiting," said her voice behind him.

When he turned around his heart literally stopped at the sight of her. She was dressed in a figure-hugging long dress that made her look like she was wrapped up in blooms of fire, the crisscross spaghetti straps and the sequined bodice making her look elfin and intoxicatingly dangerous at the same time. Her hair was pulled up into a French braid, sparkles brushed lightly against her face and around her neck she wore a heart pendant made of amber that glowed softly in the light.

"You look beautiful," said Horatio, completely spellbound.

She smiled. "And you're so handsome," she replied as she waltzed to the stereo and turned it on. She looked at him. "You sure you want to do this?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he replied.

She took out a CD and placed it into the stereo. "Tonight's selection," she said, "will be _Tales of Mystery and Imagination_ by Alan Parsons Project. As it is Samhain, I figured it would be a worthy choice."

The music stared playing as Horatio took her into his arms for the dance. The song was sweet and almost dreamlike as they swayed to the music, enjoying the feel of each other's touch and of being secure. As the faraway sounds gave way to darker forms of sliding guitar and thumping bass line, Horatio asked her, "And this is…?"

"Still the first song," she said back grinning up at him. "In a couple of minutes they'll be doing their version of Poe's 'The Raven'. That's what I love about this group…they're very inventive."

"Oh." Horatio grew quiet, just listening to the music, listening to Belladonna's soft breathing, enjoying the softness of her and the scent of sandalwood drifting from her skin. This, he figured, was what life could be about…slowing down, enjoying music and the company of the love of your life. And it felt really, really good.

The next song began to play.

"Horatio?"

"Yes?"

"I just want to thank you…for all that you've done for me. I know that you probably hear this all the time but I just…wanted you to know."

"It's nothing, Belladonna, really."

"It is to me," she whispered.

The music abruptly cut off. "Aw, how sweet," sneered a familiar voice from the corner of the room. They broke apart and Horatio already had his gun drawn as Ronnie Briggs stepped out of the shadows, himself holding a gun and pointing it directly at Belladonna. He smiled at Horatio.

"I underestimated you, Caine," he said venomously. "I didn't realize how brilliant you are. And you Miss Llewellyn…" He glared at Belladonna, how stood behind Horatio. "…I never knew how clever you were, snaring the legendary Horatio Caine into one of your traps. This is one of your spells, isn't it?"

"Ronnie, put the gun down," said Horatio and Briggs laughed.

"Why the hell should I?" he asked cocking the gun. "There's just one last thing I need to do, Caine…and that's killing the witch."

"You can kill me, Ronnie," said Belladonna softly, "but it will come back to you time three and I know you don't want that…"

"Shut up!" screamed Briggs as he slowly advanced. "Your days of casting spells over my practice is over, Belladonna, you get that? And the brave lieutenant" – He glared at Horatio – "will not be able to save you."

"Ronnie," repeated Horatio, "do not advance."

"What are you going to do, Caine?" snarled Briggs. "Kill me? Kill the good doctor who saved her life? That would be a stain on your record wouldn't it?"

The air suddenly became filled with a lavender scented perfume.

Horatio looked straight into Briggs' demented eyes and offered him his final warning: "Ronnie, do not make me do this."

Ronnie lowered the gun, seemingly confused for a moment over the new scent in the room. Then he looked at Belladonna and raised the gun, finger on the trigger.

He never got a chance. Horatio pulled the trigger on his gun first and the bullet struck Ronnie directly in the shoulder. He screamed and went down, writhing in pain. The sound of gunfire echoed through the house.

Horatio stood over him, pointing his gun menacingly at Briggs. "Do not move," he said.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the paramedics were loading Briggs onto a stretcher to take him to the hospital, Horatio and Belladonna stood together in the living room. The stereo was playing Alan Parsons Project again, and the lavender smell disappeared.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"My mother came to protect me," answered Belladonna, looping her arm around Horatio's waist. "She was always like that before she died. This was the last thing she wanted to do for me before she went back home."

"Where's home for her?"

"The Summerland." Belladonna smiled up at him. "This turned out to be quite a Samhain for you, didn't it Horatio?"

He chuckled softly. "You have no idea," he said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_November 1, 2006_

After Halloween, it seemed that life had returned to normal. Gone were the manifestations that had plagued the lab and it felt like the spirits had gone home until another time at least.

Horatio stood outside the crime lab awaiting Belladonna to arrive in a cab. A few minutes ago she had called and asked to meet with him if he wasn't terribly busy and he accepted wholeheartedly. When the cab did arrive and she got out a smile broke out onto his face and she did likewise. Today she looked well and happy, dressed in a rust colored camisole and chocolate colored skirt and her usual pentacle necklace.

She hugged him and he hugged back. "Thanks for meeting with me," she said.

"No problem," he replied. "What's going on?"

Belladonna's smile faded a little. "I'll be leaving for Georgia tomorrow," she said. At Horatio's look of surprise she continued. "It's only for three weeks, Horatio, I promise. My parents saw me all over the news yesterday and they called me, telling me how worried they were. It's only a visit to tell them I'm OK."

"So long as you come back," said Horatio. "Miami won't be the same without you."

She smiled again. "And Georgia's going to be pretty dull without you," she said. She took off one of her rings and placed it gently in his hand. "Could you hold onto that for me while I'm gone? Just until I get back?"

Horatio glanced at the ring then back up at her. "Of course I will," he said.

"Good." The cab driver honked the horn and Belladonna glanced back over her shoulder for a second then back at Horatio. "Guess I better get back home," she said.

They embraced again and once more Horatio felt the soft touch of her lips on his cheek. "I'll see you in three weeks," she whispered.

Three weeks seemed a long time and as Horatio watched her pull away from him that feeling made his heart sink. _Not this again_, he thought. _Anything but this…_

Belladonna paused at the cab door and looked back at him. For a moment their eyes stayed clued onto each other and in a heartbeat she was back in his arms and they were sharing one final kiss. When she pulled back a second time her eyes were moist and she whispered, "I'll return to you, I promise. I love you."

"I love you too."

With one last kiss she went back to the cab and, with one final gaze, climbed into it and shut the door.

As the cab drove away, Horatio looked down at the ring she had given him for remembrance. It was sterling silver and a heart-shaped garnet stone sparkled up at him. Inscribed around the inside of the ring were these words:

_When you wear this…remember me._

Oh, yes. He most certainly would do that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Three weeks went by slowly but eventually Belladonna returned, just like she promised.

Having coffee at the local coffee shop, Horatio quizzed her about her family and she reported that all of them were doing well. "My stepmother said that she

wanted to meet the man who saved my life," she said smiling. "I told her to hop on over here. She would have none of it…she hates palm trees."

"Are you here to stay?" asked Horatio. She smiled back at him and reached over to take his hand.

"Yes," she said. "I'm here to stay."

As Horatio watched her as she put the ring that he kept safe for her back on her finger, he wondered where this relationship was going to go. He and Belladonna had been going steady for while and he could help but question if there would be wedding bells for them in the future.

With relationships like this one, he thought, anything can happen. He didn't know who to thank for giving him this second chance at loving someone, the Goddess, the spirits, or the universe itself. But one thing he did know: here was a woman who loved him, and love, as everyone knows, is worth everything.

End


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